Five Million Voices

Should the Defence Force be given clearer powers to use Armed Forces personnel to cover the work of civilian staff who are taking industrial action, including extending the authorisation period to 30 days?

This Government bill amends the Defence Act 1990 to adjust the process for authorising the Armed Forces to perform the work of New Zealand Defence Force civilian employees during industrial action. It changes the duration of ministerial authorisations and addresses situations where Parliament is adjourned.

⚡ Taken under urgency

Parliament advanced this bill under urgency (committee of whole house, first reading, second reading, third reading) — moving it through faster than usual, with less time than normal for public submissions.

MPs’ arguments for and against the bill

Why support it
  • Supporters argued that the existing 1990 Defence Act provisions were insufficient and impractical, leaving the Chief of Defence Force unable to deploy staff to cover essential work during industrial action.
  • Supporters said the Defence Force must be ready at all times for urgent situations such as health and safety risks, national security needs, weather events, and deployments, including over the Christmas adjournment when Parliament cannot easily extend authorisations.
  • Supporters maintained that authorisations are not used freely but require an urgency and a genuine need for cover, so the changes simply give the Chief of Defence Force confidence to bring in the right people when required.
Why oppose it
  • Opponents argued the Minister already has the power under existing section 9 to issue successive 14-day authorisations, so extending the period to 30 days is unnecessary to address the Christmas-break concern.
  • Opponents said lengthening the authorisation period removes a point of ministerial and parliamentary oversight, since the 14-day expiry forces a Minister to reconsider whether continued authorisation remains justified.
  • Opponents raised concern that passing all stages under urgency limited public input and consideration of amendments, and that the bill should be weighed against the right to strike and fair consideration for civilian defence staff.

These are claims MPs made in Parliament’s debate — not verified facts.

Full bill summary & link to official bill page

The Defence (Workforce) Amendment Bill amends the Defence Act 1990 to let the Minister of Defence authorise the Chief of Defence Force to temporarily direct uniformed military personnel to carry out roles that civilian Defence staff normally do. At present that kind of redeployment is only available in health and safety emergencies. The bill widens it to cover situations where national security or the Defence Force's readiness to deliver its core functions would otherwise be at risk, such as during industrial action by civilian employees. The sorts of tasks involved include base security, servicing weapons and maintaining aircraft. Civilian staff keep their legal right to strike; the change is aimed at keeping essential defence functions running while they do so. It mainly affects the New Zealand Defence Force's civilian workforce, the uniformed personnel who could be reassigned, and Defence management.

This is a government bill from the Minister of Defence. It followed industrial action by civilian Defence staff in late 2024, when the government had to seek a parliamentary resolution to keep military personnel deployed beyond the usual 14-day limit, an approach seen as slow and as risking public disclosure of sensitive security information. The main argument in favour is that it protects national security and public safety during disruptions in a more practical, reliable way than depending on Parliament being available. The main argument against, raised by unions such as the NZCTU and PSA, is that it undercuts the effectiveness of a lawful strike by letting the employer backfill struck work with soldiers, tilting the balance of power against workers.

See the Parliament.nz ↗ site for the full bill.

Oppose (No) Support (Yes)

Defence (Workforce) Amendment Bill · Third Reading, 18 Nov 2025
Parliament voted 68–55 — it passed.